Fishing For Dolphin

[eded60]

I have a 20 foot boat and I want to catch Dolphin and Stripers. I need advice on where and how to catch these fish.

[Coop]

Welcome aboard eded60,,,I am by no means an expert when it comes to offshore fishing, but for dolphin, we use to look for any kind of cover, like floats for pots, floating pieces of wood, any kind of cover,,,we would toss some bait scraps by the pot,,,if they are there, you will see them come up,,,generally you have to go around the jackspot area and further out,,,dolphin like the warmer water,,,Iam sure Randy can point you in the right direction.

[Randy Stinchcomb]

well the stripers can be caught near the inlet. along the beach and RT50 bridge, drifting live bait and lures, fish the tides(very importon) but personally I have not had any great success wth them inshore.

now a 20' boat is iffy going offshore if you have no experience in running offshore. Dolphin (also called Mahi-Mahi locally) and other Pelagic species are caught much farther offshore and require different tackle and techniches. if you've never ventured off-shore before, I'd suggest going on a charter boat first (OC is full of top-notch boats and captians) first, you'll have to-go 20 to 30 miles off shore or more. water temp is very importon and Dolphin usally hang around weed lines and other floating debris. you can troll for them around these weed lines and debris and once one is hooked, keep him(or her) on the line in the water as its antics will attract others and then it can be one right ather the other action, just keep one on the hook and the rest will follow. if you troll for them, you better have some heavy gear as you'll also run the risk of hooking-up wth Billfish, Tuna and Wahoo and these fish can and will strip you clean and put a real hurting on you.

[Sam]

[Randy Stinchcomb]

[quote user="sam" post="2950"][/quote]



yeah offshore ain't for the timid or faint-of heart :wink:
it can be real work, 2 to 3 hr trips off to the canyons then 2 to 3 hrs toget back to the dock
it can be very dangerous out ther, not to scare you but people have been mamied and even lost there lives
out there just fishing for fun

[Steve]

Call me protected, scared or whatever, but a 20' boat 30 miles out just ain't my cup of tea.
ESPECIALLY with only one engine.

By all means, take Randy's advice and go on a few charters before you think about going on your own.
Even if it's a beautiful day and your only engine ran great, you still have to know the techniques. You can possibly waste A LOT of money (fuel) going out there and coming back fish-less. A charter will show you the techniques to do it right.
I'm not saying they will TEACH you, they want you to come back to fish with them and not on your own. You can at least see what they are using and how to use it.

Let a charter do the thinking about weather, safety and rigging. You go enjoy a few nice trips with them.
Waves, swells and weather come up fast, too fast for a 20 footer.

You can catch plenty of Stripers a few hundred yards off shore, outside the beach break and sandbars. At least you'll be close in case something went wrong. A nice boat rod with 17#, 10/0 or 12/0 circle hook and a fat bunker and you are set.

And welcome to the forum!

[Coop]

My pop started with a 20' GW center console and went to the jackspot often and sometimes further out,,,I think its about 20+ miles to jackspot,,,if you pick the right days, calm winds and slight seas it's really not a problem but would have to agree it would be a good idea to go out with someone with experience the first few times.

[ocsnapper]

Been out 55 plus miles in a 26 ft. in 8 to 12 ft sea not fun and never again....don't ask don't want to relive that day again:(